Suction device for taking-up and depositing of work pieces

Abstract

A suction device for taking-up, transporting, and depositing work pieces, ch as flat blanks of limp sheet material or panels, is equipped with a plurality of suction tubes. Each suction tube is individually connectable to a source of reduced pressure, whereby a pattern of effective suction tubes may be conformed to any particular configuration of a blank. The tubes are arranged in a housing, for example, in rows and columns. At least a portion of the housing is formed as a reduced pressure chamber. Each tube is individually connectable to the reduced pressure chamber to make the respective tube effective. Disconnection makes the tube ineffective. The connection of disconnection simultaneously moves the respective tube into a work position or into a rest position.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A suction device for taking-up and depositing work pieces comprising a plurality of suction tubes, housing means for holding said suction tubes in a predetermined pattern for movement between an operative suction applying position and an inoperative rest position, and drive means in said housing means for individually connecting one end of each of said suction tubes to a source of vacuum or reduced pressure. 
     
     
       2. The suction device of claim 1, wherein said predetermined pattern comprises rows and columns of said suction tubes arranged in a raster or matrix pattern. 
     
     
       3. The suction device of claim 1, wherein said housing means comprise wall means for forming a reduced pressure chamber and a mounting chamber for said suction tubes and said drive means, said wall means having a first wall separating said reduced pressure chamber from said mounting chamber, and a second wall for enclosing said mounting chamber, mounting holes in said first and second walls, said mounting holes being axially aligned in pairs so that each suction tube is slidably held in its respective pair of mounting holes to reach with said one end into said reduced pressure chamber and with a suction end out of said mounting chamber, said drive means comprising individual electromagnets mounted in said mounting chamber, spring means arranged for normally biasing said suction tubes individually into said inoperative rest position, and means connecting each suction tube individually to its respective electromagnet for moving each suction tube against the force of the biasing spring means out of said inoperative rest position into said operative suction applying position in which said one end of the respective suction tube is exposed to reduced pressure in said reduced pressure chamber. 
     
     
       4. The suction device of claim 3, further comprising sealing means in said reduced pressure chamber, said spring means urging said suction tubes against said sealing means in said inoperative rest position. 
     
     
       5. The suction device of claim 3, further comprising sealing means arranged in said first wall to surround said suction tubes slidably passing through said mounting holes in said first wall for sealing said reduced pressure chamber from said mounting chamber. 
     
     
       6. The suction device of claim 1, wherein each suction tube comprises a suction cup attached to a suction end of the respective suction tube. 
     
     
       7. The suction device of claim 1, further comprising control circuit means including compute means for energizing said drive means in any desired combination of suction tubes, whereby a group of suction tubes may be activated in accordance with data relating to a particular work piece. 
     
     
       8. The suction device of claim 7, wherein said data represent a geometrical configuration of said work piece. 
     
     
       9. The suction device of claim 7, wherein said data represent the weight of said work piece. 
     
     
       10. The suction device of claim 7, wherein said control circuit means comprise a matrix circuit, wherein said drive means comprising an electromagnet for each individual suction tube, said electromagnets being connected to crossing points in said matrix circuit, power supply means for energizing said electromagnets, switch means arranged for individually connecting said electromagnets to said power supply means, and a central processing unit connected for controlling said switch means in accordance with input data taking a work piece characteristic into account for selecting electromagnets to be energized.